Abstract
ENDOPHYTIC bacteria have received a great attention because of their intimate and non-detrimental association with plants. They release an array of bioactive compounds that play important role in the biological control of various phytopathogens. A variety of endophytic bacteria was isolated from a range of plants gathered from Fayoum Government, Egypt. The antagonistic potentiality of the bacterial isolates was evaluated against a number of phytopathogens. A sharp antifungal activity was recorded with isolate H8 against Rhizoctonia solani and Pythium ultimum while elevated antagonistic potentiality was evidenced with isolate H18 against Erwinia carotovora and Rhizoctonia solani. Simultaneously, the isolate H40 demonstrated remarkable inhibitory influence against Erwinia carotovora and Fusarium solani. Using 16S ribosomal DNA technique, the bacterial isolates were identified as Stenotrophomonas maltophilia, Bacillus subtilis, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. In conclusion, the bacterial strains S. maltophilia (H8), B. subtilis (H18) and P. aeruginosa (H40) could be used as biological agents against wide range of phytopathogens.